Measuring device



Filed Sept. 9, 1944 May 16, 1950 A. c. REESIDE MEASURING DEVICE 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1944 Jeff/Uf@ A. C. REESIDE MESURINGDEVICE May 16, 195o 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 9, 1944 Patented May16, 1950 UNITED STATES .'[ENT QFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a measuring device particularly adaptedfor indicating with precision the distance between nicks formed in abloom or similar elongated round body.

In the production of rolled steel car wheels it is customary to formannular nicks in the bloom at spaced joints and to break it at the nicksso as to permit examination of the grain structure at the plane offracture. Heretofore the measurement of each individual blank, asdetermined by the space between the nicks in the bloom, was indicated tothe operator of the picking or cutting-off machine by means connected bylinks and gear mechanism with dial indicator, movement being transmittedto this mechanism by the y pusher which propelled the bloom along asuitable work-supporting table. Due to the lost motion in the link andgear mechanism and also to the fact that after each nicking operationthe ,bloom would not stop in the same position and the pusher would notcome to rest at the Same point at the end of each stroke, the net resultwas the production of blanks of incorrect measurement, which caused theproduction of off-weight wheel blanks, the error sometimes amounting tof as much as 90 to 100 pounds. Such inaccuracies resulted in failure tomeet practical requirements "as to weight tolerances which usually callfor an accuracy within ten pounds. able amount of production wasrejected.

Hence a consider- The chief object of the present invention is to tovercome difficulties inherent in prior art mechathereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line III- III of Figure 2. 4

Figure 4 is an enlarged skeleton plan illustrative of the improvedmeasuring device of the present invention and illustrates in detailmechanism for restoring the pointer of the measuring device to zero orstarting position.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown L in Figure 4. f

Figure 6 is a section on line VI--VI of Figure 5,

showing the coaction of part of the improved mechanism with the nickedbloom.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail section.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a nicked bloom showing the spaced nickswhose distances apart are adapted to be measured and controlled by thedevice of the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, reference numeral til representsthe pusher of a well known type of cut-off machine. This pusher isactuated by a conventional mechanism, indicated diagrammatically at l2,which is effective to advance a bloom B axially along suitablesupporting means such as indicated by the rollers I4 and I6 and guidetrough il. Hcrizontally reciprocating top and bottom knives Ill and 20respectively, of known or conventional form, are mounted in suitableguides l 3 and 28a and actuated in a conventional manner byknife-reciprocating mechanisms l8b and 20. As the knives more inwardlythey engage the upper and lower portions of the bloom B and thus exert aforce effective to rotate the bloom and simultaneously form an annularnick therein.

Figure 8 illustrates a bloom having several annular nicks therein, asindicated at n. The distance between adjacent nicks determines thelength of bloom stock which when broken on between the nicks constitutesa given wheel blank. In practice, a given bloom may range from 16 to 19feet in length, and of a diameter of from 15 to 1'71/2 inches. Thepicking operations performed by the knives are adapted to formindividual Wheel blanks varying in length from approximately 8 inches to22 inches, depending upon the type of wheel to be made and to customersspecifications.

The present invention provides precision means for enabling the pushermachine operator to accurately determine and control the measurementbetween adjacent nicks. Such accuracy is made possible by the provisionof mechanism shown particularly in Figures 4 to 7 inclusive, whichmechanism includes an element making direct physical contact with a nickin the moving bloom so as to avoid errors in measurement such as occurwhen the indicating means are responsive to movement of the parts whichpropel the bloom. My improved measuring device includes a square shaft22 which is slide-ble in suitable bushings 2A, 26 and 2li, which arerotatably ,nted in bearings Sil, and et respectively. l secured to theshaft 2.?2` there is an arm 35 the free end portion 3S of which isadapted to ride the cuter face of the bloom until it engages a nick inthe bloom after which engagement, movement of the bloom will betransmitted to the square shaft 22. One extremity of the shaft 22 isturned down to cylindrical form and the hub 31 of a pointer 38 isrotatably supported by said cylindrical portion Washers and 42 aremounted adjacent the opposite ends of the hub 31, and a screw 44 servesto conne the hub of the pointer on the cylindrical end of the shaft. Asthus arranged, one or more of the washers 40 or 42 can be added orremoved so as to initially set the pointer 38 to the zero positionindicated at 45 on a scale 46 which is xedly mounted on any suitablesupport in juxtaposition to the line of travel of the bloom.

A lever 43 is slidably mounted on the shaft 22 between the fixedbearings 32 and 34. lI'hus this lever will not partake of thelongitudinal movement of the square shaft 22 since the latter slidesthrough the hub of the lever. The movable core of a solenoid 52 isoperatively connected to the free end of the lever 43. When the solenoidis momentarily energized under manual control of an operator, it rocksthe shaft 22 clockwise as viewed in Figure 3 to disengage or lift theend of the arm 35 from the nick n which has been previously formed inthe face of the bloom by the knives i3 and 2Q, and when the solenoid isdeenergized the weight of the arm 35 is suicient to cause the outer endthereof to ride the face of the advancing bloom so that its extremity 36will drop by'gravity into the annular nick formed therein by the knivesI8 and 20.

For example, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, assuming the solenoid to benormally deenergized. the bloom will move a distance equal to thatbetween the vertical plane of the left-most nick, that vis the onecoincident with the knives i8 and 20, or line III-III, without movingeither the shaft 22 or the pointer 33, which latter is then at zeroposition. When said left-most nick reaches the plane of arm St, as shownin Figure 2, the extremity of the arm will drop into that nick and fromthat time on the movement of the bloom will be transmitted to thepointer.

At the start of the cycle of operation, the arm 35 and pointer 38 occupythe positions shown in Figures 2 and 5. 'She shaft 22 is returned tothis position upon energization of the solenoid 52 by means of a cable54 and weight 5E, the cable being trained around guide sheaves 5? andtil.

.shaft 22 partakes of the advancing movement of the bloom, the pointer38 at this time traversing the fixed scale 4S and thus showing withprecision the exact distance traveled by the bloom from the instant theend of the arm -dropped into a nick. When the pointer 38 ,reachesthepredetermined point on the scale 46 corresponding tothe desireddistance between l.nicks (which corresponds to the desired length of awheel blank) the operator causes the stoppage of the pusher mechanismI2. The knives yI8 and 20 are then operated to form another nick in thebloom. Thus this second nick is indented at an accurately determineddistance from ,-a previously formed nick. Thereupon the soleto incorrectweights.

noid 52 is momentarily energized, thus rocking the lever 48 and turningthe shaft 22 a sufficient distance to lift the free end 36 of the arm 35out of the nick, whereupon the weight 56 will cause the shaft 22 to beretracted to the starting position of Figures 2 and 5, the retractivemovement of the shaft being arrested by the hub of arm 35 comin-g torest against the bushing 2li carried by the ixed bearing 30. At thistime the pointer 38 will also come to rest at the zero position. Theparts are thus restored to starting position, ready to repeat thedescribed cycle for the next nicking operation.

Reduction to practice has demonstrated that the described measuringdevice has overcome bothersome problems inherent in indicatingmechanisms of prior art machines, and the invention has resulted in aconsiderable increase in eciency in the manufacture of Wheel blanksthrough minimizing the rejection of blanks due In prior art mechanismsthe weights of individual wheel blanks in practice have varied by asmuch as to 100 pounds, Whereas the percentage of rejection since the useof my herein described invention has been considerably cut down andweight variations of individual blanks have been reduced to thenegligible amounts, with the attendant conservation of labor andcritical materials through reducing to a minimum the rejection of wheelblanks used in the forging or rolling of wheels.

While I have described quite precisely a preferred embodiment of theinvention which an actual reduction to practice has demonstrated to behighly desirable, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto,since various modifications may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departure from the invention as described in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

l. Apparatus of the character described, including a pusher forlongitudinally advancing an elongated billet-like body having a nicktherein, means for indicating with precision the distance said elongatedbody is advanced by said pusher comprising a fixed scale, a pointertraveling along the scale, a slidably mounted shaft supporting thepointer, an arm on the shaft engageable with the said nick in the bodywhereby movement of the body is imparted to said shaft and pointer,means for disengaging the arm from the nick to thus break the drivingconnection between the shaft and the body, and means for retracting saidshaft and the pointer to a iixed starting position upon disengagement ofthe arm from the nick so as to return the pointer to the zero startingposition on said scale.

2. In apparatus for nicking an elongated billet-like metallic bodywhereby said body can subsequently bebroken into pieces, the length ofwhich are determined by the distance between nicks, the combinationcomprising supporting means for an elongated body, pusher mechanismadapted to longitudinally advance said body variable distancesundermanual control ofA an operator, a vmeasuring scale xedly mounted injuxtaposition to the line of travel of the body, an indicating pointeradapted to traverse said scale, a' shaft on which saidpointer isrotatably supported, spaced fixed bearings slidably androtatablysupporting said shaft, a member secured to said shaft having a portionadapted to vengage a nick insaid body sofas to transmit the longitudinalmovement of the body to saidk shaft and the. pointer-carried. thereby,means for rocking said shaft to thus disengage said member from thenick, and means for retracting said shaft and the pointer thereon tostarting position upon disengagement of said member from the nick insaid body.

3. Apparatus of the character described, comprising bloom-supportingmeans, a pushei` adapted to advance a, bloom Variable distances alongthe supporting means under manual control of an operator, knivestraveling transverse to the line of travel of the bloom effective tonick the bloom, a fixed scale mounted in juxtaposition to the line oftravel of the bloom, a pointer secured to a shaft slidably mountedadjacent said scale, a member secured to said shaft having a portionadapted to engage a nick in the bloom made by said knives so as totransmit the longitudinal movement of the bloom to said shaft andpointer, manually controlled means for rocking said shaft to disengagesaid member from said nick when the pointer reaches a predeterminedpoint on said scale, and means for retracting said shaft and the pointerthereon to starting position upon disengagement of said member from thenick in said body.

ARTHUR C. REESIDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTSA Number Name Date 1,681,306 Moon Aug. 21, 1928FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country l Date 518,718 Germany Feb. 19, 1931

